Rageshri Dhairyawan

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your work.
I was born in Bombay, raised in Essex and live in London. I am a sexual health and HIV doctor and researcher, and my work focuses on health equity, aiming to amplify the voices of marginalised communities in healthcare.

In 2022 I was recipient of the inaugural Wellcome Collection x Spread The Word non-fiction award which helped me to develop the proposal for my debut non-fiction book. Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing was published by Trapeze in 2024. I used my experiences as a patient with endometriosis and as a doctor to explore why people are unheard, dismissed and disbelieved in medicine. It’s a prescription to transform healthcare so everyone’s voice is valued equally.

I also contributed an essay to Kat Brown’s anthology No One Talks About This Stuff (Unbound 2024), where I talk about what happens in the aftermath of unsuccessful fertility treatment, recognising my grief and also my resilience.

2. Has writing always been a focus for you or was it a Plan B?
My biggest love as a child was reading. I was lucky enough to live 5 minutes walk from a library and even luckier to have a mother who took me there every weekend. I have wanted to write a book for as long as I can remember, but never thought this was something I could seriously consider until I was ‘much older’. However, I started writing small pieces for journals and blogs in the last 7 years and realised that I enjoyed seeing my writing in print. I took a year’s sabbatical, having worked during the initial Covid pandemic, to pursue a Masters in epidemiology and away from clinical work, I found I had some brain space to think and write. On a whim I applied to the Wellcome Collection x Spread the Word award and the rest is history!

3. How do you explore ideas or find inspiration for your work?
Much of my inspiration comes from my work and from my experiences as a patient. I am privileged to meet and hear the stories of people from a diverse range of backgrounds and some of these stories have stayed with me. Writing also helps me make sense of what I witness at work. I also read a lot of fiction and adore writers like Marian Keyes and Kate Atkinson who explore important issues with a light touch.
 

4. What does the process of writing involve for you?
Lots of reading from a wide range of sources both for inspiration and research. This is often followed by a period of ‘stewing’ - thinking which is often done whilst carrying out chores or walking. And then writing very roughly. Often just getting research on a page and writing sentences to join them up. Followed by a lot of polishing. As a researcher I am used to writing in academic style, and have had to learn to write in a more accessible way. To help with this, I will often read passages out loud. I love the peace of early morning and will often wake at dawn to write.
 

5. And what does writing then also give you in return?
It helps me to understand people and the world better. It gives me an outlet to convey feelings which I may not normally get a chance to do in the maelstrom that work can sometimes be. I am also deeply grateful for any feedback that I get from readers.

6. Has seeing your work in print changed how you view yourself, and also how you view your NoMo status?
It’s been validating, feeling that people may be interested in what I have to say. And when Unheard came out, I found myself holding it with care. Something I had created which was real in the world and may even last after me. So yes, it’s felt important as someone who wanted to be a mother, but couldn't be. But I also try to remind myself that even if I wasn’t published, I am enough.

7. Tell us about the wider reception that you’ve had to sharing your story - has it changed how others have viewed you and your identity as a non-parent?
I have had messages from a range of people who have seen their stories in mine and this has been gratifying. I have been fairly discreet about my infertility (which I talk about in my essay in No One Talks About This Stuff) so for some it has come as a surprise, but I am now at a stage where I am happy to be open about it, if it is helpful to others.

8. How do you feel about the current representation of childless and/or childfree people in literature?
We are seeing ourselves more and more which is fantastic, but the representation could be much more diverse. I would love to see more fiction with racially minoritised characters dealing with this issue. And more which explores when fertility treatment is unsuccessful – we often only hear or see the success stories.

9. What would you like the publishing world to know about non-parents, both as writers and readers, and our stories?
We exist and there are more of us than they may realise. Our stories have been unheard, but there is a huge audience for them. When No One Talks About This Stuff came out, I got so much feedback from people who felt it really resonated with them.
 

10. What future plans do you have, especially for your writing?
Let’s see! I hope to continue writing essays and think pieces and I also have ideas for another non-fiction book. However, in the future, my dream would be to explore writing fiction, such as short stories.